Curing of india-rubber.



R. DERBY.

CURING 0]?l INDIA RUBBER.

n APPLICATION FILED APR.1,1911. x 1,030,651 Patented June 25, 1912.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

R. DERBY.

GURING OF INDIA RUBBER.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 1, 191;.

l 1,030,651 Patented June 25, 1912.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

W www 'Q-aarmoy@ ArtNr ROBERT BERRY, F SIGAPORE, STRAITS SETTLEMENTS.

. cUmNe or INDIA-RUBBER.

' To all whom t may concern f c tube, is connected at one end by a conduit B5v Be it known that I, ROBERT DERRY, a sub'- .ject of the King of England, residingat Singapore, Straits Settlements,have inventved certain new and useful Improvements in the Curing of.India-Rubber, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in the curing of india-rubber and refers more particularly to apparatus for coagulating and curing the latex of Para rubber known as Heoebrasz'lz'emz's and the latices of other Heveas and of other species of rubber producing plants .orA trees. L

According to this invention in an apparatus for curing latex wherein it is exposed in a thin lm to the action of smoke, there is employed in combination a heating and a smoke chamber orl a heating chamber'containing smoke, a supply of latex outside the heating and smoke chambers and an endless flexible band conveying a thin film of material into the chambers.

According to one modification of the pres- Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectipnal elevation of the apparatus; Figs. 2 and 3 are front and side elevations respectively of a detail of the apparatus, and Fig. 4 -is a detailed view of other parts of the apparatus.

A chamber bounded by walls A A1 A2 A3- comprises the heating and smoke-chamber wherein the latex is cured. The heat and smoke are generated in the furnace B situated at one end of the apparatus and are led through a Hue B1 to a smoke valve-chamber B2 situated at the other end of the apparatus. The valve-chamber B2 contains a damperor valve Ba shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1. An inclined pipe B1, preferably composed of a galvanized or sheet iron with the chamber B2. The pipe B1 is perforated on its under side with a number of small holes eXtendin the entire length of the pipe. The condult B5 is loosely mounted in the chamber B2 so that it Will adapt Specication f Letters Patent. Patented June 251.1912.` Application mea Apri-1 1, 1911.

Serial No. 618,372.

itself to themovement of the pipe B'1 which will be hereinafter referred to. l

Situated below the pi e B1 is an inclined trough C having a dralning pipe C1, the latter discharging outside the main chamber. The caoutch uc containing `the latex is carried into th) smoke and heat chamber by means of an inclined and endless band D..

The band is supported at its upper end on a pulley D1 inside the chamber. The pulley v l n e L v D1 1s carrled 1n journals D2 movable 1n guides D3 in a direction parallel with the stretches of the band. Secured to the journals D2 is a cable or the like -D1 passing over lthe pulley D5 and carrying at its free endta weight D". The other end of the band D is carried over a pulley E situated outside the smoke-chamber; the two stretches of the band passing through orifices provided for that urpose in the wall A of the smokecham er.

l Beneath the pulley E is a trough E1 carrying a supply oflatex. The trough E1 isA supported on a screw rod E2 passing through screw bearings Es and E1. At. the lower extremity of the screw-rod E2 is rigidly secured a hand-wheel E5 so that by rotating'thehand-wheel the trough may be either raised or lowered toward the band.

A lateX- reservoir F preferably in the form of a closed tank having al lip F1 is arranged at` V011e side ofthe trough E1 so that latex can be discharged into the trough from the reservoir. n s In the illustrations, a crank-handle G is shown carrying a worm G1 meshing with a worm-wheell G2 the latter being rigidlysecured to the shaft Gs carrying the pulley E. By rotating the crank-handle G, the pulley E is rotated and the band thereby moved. At one end of the shaftG3 is a pinion G'1 which is geared through a gear? wheel G5 with another gear G@ carried on one end of a counter-shaft G7. At the other end of the counter-shaft a beveled gearwheel GB engages with a similar beveled gear-Wheel G which is rigidly secured to a. l

shaft carrying a Worm G1". The Worm G10 meshes wlth a worm-wheel G11 rotatably mounted on abracket G12. A boss on thev worm -wheel G11 has an internal screwthread meshing with `a threaded rod G13 pivotally connected at G15* to the reservoir F. The shaft G3 and its attendant parts are supported as shown bya bracket G15.

Preferably the pulley E, is secured to the shaft G3 by means of a clutch G16 which permits the shaft Gr3 to beI rotated in the reverse direction to return the' reservoir E to its initial position.

In order to raise or lower the pipe B* bodily'toward or away from the band D,

operating gear is provided and isdiagrammatically .illustrated in Fig.1. rl`his consists at one end of a link H pivoted at H1 and having rigidly secured lto it an operating arm H2. A link H3 connects the tube B4 and the free end of the link H. Pivotally connected to the operatingarm H2 is a' link I-I4 pivotally connected to another link H5 which corresponds to the operating arm H2 and has links IJI6 and H7 similar to the links H and H3 respectively. It is ob- `vioustherefore that by moving the operating arm H2, the. pipe B4 will be raised or lowered according to the direction of the movement imparted to the operating arm H2.

The smoke-chamber is preferably covered with and ventilated by a raised .lanternroof A,

f In operation, latex is fed into the trough E1 from the reservoir F until the outer surface of the band D just touches the surface of the latex and picks up a thin film. L',1`he

gearing operated to' elevate the reservoir F 1s so proportioned that latex 1s supplied to the trough at approximately the same rate that itis removed therefrom by the band D. The latex picked up by the band is carried I thereby into the smoke-chamber which-has been heated by the incoming smoke to ap? roximately 100 F. The smoke issuing rom theoriceslinfthe-.pipe B* impinges upon the trough C, thus largely eliminating moisture, naphthalene and smuts. The

smoke thus purified thereafter impinges upon the latex on `the band D. As the band passes over the pulley D1, the tension thereon will tend rto express water (combined g with the latex) from the partially coagulated latex Each revolution of the band 'pickshu a fresh layer of latex from the troug superimposing it upon the layer A previously coagulated. The band, however, 1's prevented from sagging under the accu- 50 mulated weight of the latex, bymeans of the tensioning Weight D and lts connection with the pulley D1. After ysuflicient latex has been coagulated upon the band, it may be removed therefrom by stripping ofi', as by the knife J, and immediately passed through the pressing rollers and then returned to thesmoke-chambers for further p curing.

` .as the heatin Preferablythe smoke for curing latex is obtained by burning wood or leaves. As, however, in certain districts where latex is cured,the supply of wood or leavesis not very great, it is undesirable to use the smoke medium. The smoke-chamber could be cated by steam or hot water radiating in pipes arranged inside the chamber and sufficient smoke need only then be added to cure the latex. Also it is not necessary that the heating and curing should be done in the same chamber as there might be arranged one chamber heated by any Aconvenient means, and another chamber containing smoke into which the band subsequently travels. y

It'is found preferable to employ a band about 2 ft. wide and 42 ft. in length (over all). The latex is supplied to the band at such a rate that 12 gallons will be treated in 3 hours, the temperature of the smoke'.-v `chamber being 100 F. This should allow .paratus have been described inz detail for carrying the invention into effect, it is obvious that modifications may be made provided the-spirit of the invention is not departed from. For instance, in place of the manually actuated crank-handle, a motor could drive the shaft G3. Also several bands placed side by side could be driven from the same motor and could pass through the same smoke and heat chamber. Itis found desirable in this case to arrange a smoke or heating pipe or radiator under each band. v

What I claim as my invention and desire lto secure by Letters Patent is -y l. In an apparatus for curing latex, the

combination of a supply receptacle; means to draw said latex from said supply in a thin film;.means to apply smoke to said lm; means to apply heat to said'film; and

a closed chamber in which said heat and .i

smoke means are located and into which .said film maybe drawnvduring treatment,

substantially as described.'

2. Inv anc apparatus for curing latex, the combination of a supply receptacle; means having a motion of rotation and translation for; drawing said latex from said supply in a thin film; means to apply smoke to said film whilev it is receiving its translating movement; means to heat said lm while it is receiving its` smoke treatment; and1 a closedchamber in which said smoke and heat means are located and through which .said film maybe drawn, substantially as described.

3. Apparatus forlcurlng latex wherein 1t `is exposed in a thin film to the action of smoke and comprising in combination an endless band, a latex-containing receptacle through which the band passes, means for adjusting said receptacle in its relation to the band, and means for directing heat and smoke on to the latex picked up onthe surface of the band.

4. Apparatus for curing latex wherein it `is exposed' in a thin film to the action of smoke and comprising in combination a latex-contammg receptacle, a heat and a smoke-chamber, means for supplying heat smoke and comprising in combination a heat-ing and a smoke chamber a supply of latex situated outside thereof, an endless flexible band adapted to convey a thin film of material into said chamber, and a driving means for imparting motion to the is exposed in a thin film to the action of band. i n u 6. Apparatus `for curing latex wherein 1t smoke and comprising in combination a heating chamber containing smoke, a supply of latex situated outside of said chamber, a flexible endless band adapted to convey a thin film of material into said chamber, and

a driving means for imparting motion to ,said band.

7. Apparatus for curing latex wherein nit is exposed in a thin film to the action of smoke and comprising in combination a heating chamber, a supply of latex situated outside of said chamber, a flexible endless jband adapted to convey a thin film of material into said chamber, a smoke generato-r, a smoke-delivering tube connectedv thereto and disposed under the endless band, and a driving means for imparting motion to the band.

8. Apparatus vfor curing latex wherein it is exposed in a thin film to the action of smoke and comprising in combination a heating chamber containing smoke, a vesselvcontaining `latex situated outside of said chamber, a'fiexible endless band adapted to convey a thin film of material into said chamber, mains to enable said band to re- -move continually the top layer of latex from flexible endless band adapted to convey a thin film of material into said chamber, a smoke purifier, and a driving means for imparting motion to saidband.

l0. Apparatus for curing latex wherein it. is expo-sed in a thin film to the act-ion of smoke and comprising in combination a heat-ing chamber, a supply of latex situated outside of said chamber, a flexible endless band adapted to convey a thin filmof material into said chamber, a smoke generator, a smoke-delivering tube connected thereto and disposed under said band and discharging smoke in a downward direction, a` trough disposed below said smoke-delivering tube and upon which the smoke impinges, and a driving means for impart-ing.

mot-ion to the band.

1l. Apparatus for curing latex whereiny it is exposed Ain a thin film to the action of smoke and comprising in combination a heatingchamber containing smoke, a vessel containing latex situated outside of said chamber, a reservoir containin latex and supplying it lto said vessel, a exible endless band adapted to convey a thin film of latex into said chamber, a dri-ving means for imparting motion to said band, andan operative connection between said driving means and the latex-reservoir to supply the latex-containing vessel with latex at the required rate. Y

12. Apparatus for curing latex wherein it is exposed in a thin film to the action of smoke and comprising in combination a heating chamber containing smoke, a vessel containing latex situated outside of said chamber, a reservoir containing latex and supplying it to said vessel, a flexible endless band adapted to convey a thin film of latex into saidY chamber, a driving means for impart-ing motionA to said band, a screwed member secured to the latex reservoir, a nut engaging sald screwed member and an opf erative connection whereby the nut is operated by the driving means to discharge latex from the reservoir intothe latex-containing vessel at the required rate.

13. Apparatus for curing lat-ex wherein it ward Jand away from the belt and drivingv means for` imparting motion to the band.

14. Apparatus yfor curing latex wherein it is exposed in a thin film to the action of smoke and comprising in combination a ber,a flexible endless band adapted to con-v vey a thin lilm of material into said cham- 5 ber, and means for'maintaining the belt in tension, and a driving means for imparting motion to said band.

15. Apparatus for curing latex wherein lit isexposed in a thin film to the action of 1,0 smoke and comprising in combination a heating chamber containing smoke, a supply of latex situated outside of said chamber,

- a flexlole endless' band 'moving in' Contact with thelatex and adapted to convey a thin 15 film thereof into said chamber, a fixed pulley at one end of said band, a movable pulley at the other end of said band, a movable bearing supporting said movable pulley, a exible link connected at one end tosaid movable bearings,` a Weight secured at the 20 other end of said flexible link and a driving mea-ns for impart-ing motion to said band.

In testimony. whereof I have signed my name to this. specification in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

ROBERT DERBY.

Witnesses: A

PERGY DEWITT, HARRY B. BRIDGE. 

